Slip casting of barium zirconate aqueous concentrated suspensions

The rheological behaviour of aqueous suspensions of barium zirconate was studied focusing on the effect of the volume fraction of particles, leading to the determination of the maximum packing fraction. Optimised suspensions dispersed with both polymethacrylic acid and tetramethylammonium hydroxide were slip cast on plaster moulds to produce discs and crucibles, leading to relative green densities greater than 62% of theoretical ones. Densification was studied at temperatures ranging from 1450 to 1700 °C by static and dynamic sintering experiments. Scanning electron microscopy studies demonstrate that slip cast parts are dense and very homogeneous, without any significant processing-related defects or abnormal grain growth.